Harper, George Mills; Yeats, William Butler; Bornstein, George

The Making of Yeats's 'A Vision': A Study of the Automatic Script (Two Volumes) with: Ephemera

Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1987. First Editions (Review Copies). Hardcovers. With hand-written & signed note from George Mills Harper to George Bornstein, & publisher's complimentary card also signed by Harper. "According to (William Butler) Yeats, his wife surprised him on 24 October 1917, four days after their marriage, 'by attempting automatic writing'. Greatly excited, he offered to spend the remainder of his life organizing and explaining her 'scattered sentences'. Over a period of approximately thirty months they collaborated in 450 sittings, he asking questions and she responding in a total of more than 3600 pages. Quoting copiously from the Script, Professor (George Mills) Harper has traced in two volumes these incredible experiments day by day as the Yeatses moved about in England, Ireland and America. He has also cited hundreds of parallel explanatory passages from many workbooks, notebooks, and the 'concordance...arranged like a card index' in which Yeats 'codified' the System he projected in A Vision and numerous poems and plays. More importantly, for those who are interested in autobiography as well as literary history, Professor Harper has examined in considerable detail the extensive personal revelations which were excluded from A Vision and carefully concealed in many passages of 'personal script.' " (from front flaps, Vol.s 1 & 2) The monumental two-volume work of ultimate literary & biographical scholarship by George Mills Harper (1914-2006), the acclaimed & prolific American author & academician. The subject most-deeply & widely dissected here is the years-long work of William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), the canonical Irish poet & dramatist, which led to A Vision (1925). Yeats considered this poem his "book of books," & it was the organization-distillation of his wife Georgie Hyde-Lees Yeats' (1892-1968) automatic-writing responses to his inquiries. Hardcovers in unclipped dust jackets, first editions, first printings with no references to further printings at copyright pages. From the collection of George Bornstein (1941-2021), the great American author & academician (here at the University of Michigan) whose own scholarly specialties were the iconic Irish writers, especially Yeats- & who was a dearly missed friend of this writer. We found & have retained (now housed in a sleeve with backing board for protection) these five important items of ephemera, : (1) Complete article, "A Yeats Man," by Steve Watkins, clipped from the Spring 1987 issue of the scholarly journal Research In Review, three leaves (pgs. 14-18) folded once horizontally & held with paper clip, in fine condition with only slight age-toning & mildly irregular edges where removed, which profiles Harper's Yeats-related achievements & discoveries concurrent with the publication of these volumes. (2) A note hand-written & signed in black ink from Harper to Bornstein dated November 15, 1989 enclosed with facsimile manuscript pages "about Shelley and Pound," four sheets including note twice-folded horizontally in fine condition with only light age-toning & edge/corner wear. (3) Newsletter of publisher announcing & soliciting reviews of these volumes dated February 18, 1987, twice-folded horizontally & in fine condition with only slight age-toning, edge/corner wear, which confirms that these are review copies & therefore certainly first editions/printings as noted above. (4) Publisher's complimentary card with hand-written signature of Harper in black ink, printed on one side only & in excellent condition. (5) Complete article, "Once Again A Man With a Mission" by George Johnson, clipped from the November 25, 1990 issue of the New York Times Magazine, four sheets folded horizontally & vertically in near-fine condition with mild-to-moderate age-toning & mildly-to-siginificantly irregular edges where removed. The article is about Dr. Jonas Salk & his efforts to find a cure for AIDS as he did for polio, & does not appear to regard Yeats- but at recto second page (first page of text), Bornstein has hand-written above the sub-title in blue ink: "(illegible) Yeats's automatic Writing." Therefore, some Yeats quote or reference may be found in this article. Additionally, at Preface & first few pages of text through pg. 12 of Vol. 1, Bornstein has hand-highlighted & underlined many passages in pencil. An essential Yeats-related collectible, an indispensable resource for the deepest devotee in its rarest contemporary form & with the very highest, most-distinguished association & provenance- inestimably enriched with collegial scholar-to-scholar references, signatures & other relevant ephemera. Indeed, a uniquely collectible & potentially extra-insightful exemplar of this classic study. Both volumes in relatively very fine condition: Books with only mild wear to edges & corners of front, back covers & spines; a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same; slight age-toning to edges of text blocks (very short, faint pencil marks at upper & lower edges of vol.2). Interiors very fine with only slightest age-toning to endpapers & page leaves, chiefly at blank margins/edges. Dust jackets very fine with only very slight rubbing, faint scratching, a bit of age-toning/fading & occasional spotting to front, back covers, spines & flaps; a touch of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #9200]

Price: $250.00 save 10% $225.00